Day 23 of Christmas Nightlight Readings: Polar Express

This evening my family, as well as our close family friends (practically family), are going to Hood River to ride The Polar Express. There is something so magical about this story—of a small boy doubting the truth about Santa Claus. On that magical Christmas Eve he is swept away by the Polar Express bound to the North Pole to visit Santa. At the North Pole one of the children are to be chosen to receive the first Christmas present and the small boy is chosen. But all he would like is a silver bell from Santa's sleigh. He puts it in his pocket, but as he returns home he finds that the bell slipped through a hole. Saddened he goes to bed to wake up Christmas morning. There is everything around the tree, but he is sad, until he finds a small gift from Santa with the bell inside. His parents cannot hear the sound of the bell, only he and his sister. For years he keeps the bell, but slowly each year fewer and fewer of his friends can hear the bells. Even his sister one year can no longer hear the bell. But even when he is old and gray the bell still rings for him.